There are many types of wine lovers out there. Some are experts who can tell you the vineyard and vintage of a particular wine in a blind tasting, while others are simply looking for a nice beverage to go with tonight’s spaghetti and everyone in between. Throughout this blog site, I generally focus on sharing knowledge about the social aspect of wine and the process of finding wines that readers may be interested in. We like to “talk” about tastings with our friends and neighbors as well as the basics of wine making, aromatics and taste characteristics, and geography, for example, so that the everyday wine drinker can make a more informed decision about what they might want to try and how to get additional enjoyment from wine.
I took my thirst for wine knowledge to the next level by becoming a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), on my own dime by the way, through a program offered by the Atlanta Wine School. There I met the executive director and founder, Michael Bryan, who was our instructor for the 12 week program. I found immediate value in this program and the information Michael was sharing with me and my classmates. Wine labels became less intimidating and I was able to be more targeted in my search for desired types of wines, where they could be found in the world and what characteristics I should expect. What’s more is that the information was delivered in an easily palatable format and the environment was never pretentious, much in the way I like to enjoy wine with friends and neighbors in our monthly Pelly Circle Wine Club.
As Michael likes to point out, wine is a have and have-not world, but ”it’s not about affluence, it’s about knowledge.” He goes on to say that once the knowledge gap is reduced, people become “confident and more comfortable” with wine and engaging in conversation about it.
It is my belief that one of the best ways to rapidly ramp-up on any subject is to totally immerse yourself in it. An opportunity to work at a winery and live in Sonoma county for 6 months is a great way to do this, which is why I am working hard to become Murphy-Goode’s Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent with the full endorsement of Michael Bryan and the Atlanta Wine School. Click on this <link> or the video link in the sidebar to vote by entering your email address and clicking on the confirmation link that is subsequently sent to you.
Cheers!
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] part of the Society of Wine Educators. Thanks, Michael for your support and I hope to continue growing in the ways of wine following your lead in the [...]